1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of air bags and other cushions used to provide a protective passenger environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of air bags and cushions have been developed to provide a protective environment for a vehicle passenger in a crash or emergency condition. The cushions may be permanently inflated or may be quickly inflated by means of a source of pressurized fluid once a detector determines a predetermined change in vehicle velocity. Cushions may be arranged along the front, sides and rear of the vehicle such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,613 issued to Cho. U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,058 issued to Kramer et al., and the German Patent DE 3,032,444 issued to Apprich.
Typically, air bags extend outwardly from the steering wheel or dashboard or from the doors adjacent the seat. It is also known to extend the air bag in an upward position initially being located beneath the passenger knees such as shown in U.S. Pat. No.5,344,184 issued to Keeler et al. Some air bags extend outwardly from the console located between the driver and passengers, such as shown in U.S. Patent 5,312,131 issued to Kitagawa et al. An example of an inflatable air bag mounted to the rear of the seat is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,886 issued to Frost.
Despite the prior devices, there is still a need for improved cushions for providing a protective environment for a passenger in an emergency or crash situation. It has been noted that injuries occur in certain instances as a result of the air bag expanding in a rearward direction toward the face and chest of a passenger. In this instance what is needed is an air bag or fluid bag which expands from the passenger in a forward direction thereby providing a cushion without expanding force being applied to the passenger. Disclosed herein is such a device.